Flint and Spark: Night of the Raven 6TH CHAPTER UP
by Rimba
Summary: The pair have made it to the old forest, but are confused when they find cats that are almost another JaggedClan. Back at the lake, a striped snooper accidentally uncovers a dark secret: Flintclaw's heritage may not be as clean as suspected...
1. Allegiances

**THUNDERCLAN**

LEADER: Redstar – reddish tabby tom, great-grandson of Firestar

DEPUTY: Squirrelflight – dark red she-cat, green eyes, a senior warrior

MEDICINE CAT: Leafpool – aging tabby she-cat with amber eyes APPRENTICE, JAYLEAF

WARRIORS

Lionfur – golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Hollywhisker – black she-cat with green eyes APPRENTICE, LICHENPAW

Berrytail – creamy tom

Cinderfoot – gray tabby she-cat

Mousepelt – gray-and-white tom APPRENTICE, BUMBLEBEE

Sparkfur – fiery scarlet tabby she-cat, great-great-granddaughter of Firestar

Birchfall – light brown tabby tom

Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook) – brown tabby she-cat, formerly of the Tribe of Rushing Water

Stormfur – dark gray tom with amber eyes, formerly of RiverClan

Whitewing – white she-cat with green eyes

Millie – silver tabby she-cat, former kittypet, blue eyes

Poppypatch – tortoiseshell she-cat

Hazelpounce – small gray-and-white she-cat

Flowersong – gray she-cat with blue eyes, Redstripe's mate, formerly of RiverClan APPRENTICE, NIGHTPAW

Blackfoot – gray black-footed tom, green eyes

Iceclaw – white she-cat

Foxshadow – reddish tabby tom

APPRENTICES

Jayleaf – gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Lichenpaw – gray she-cat with one black paw and green eyes, Blackfoot's younger sister

Bumblebee – former loner, golden tom with black stripes

Nightpaw – completely black she-cat with a white ring around one eye

QUEENS

Honeyheart – light brown tabby she-cat; _kits: Tinykit, Cloverkit, and Sootkit __**(This is for you and Sootfur, Mistystream – Sootfur's Loyalty! You rock!)**_

ELDERS

Dustpelt – dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm – pale ginger she-cat

Cloudtail – long-haired white tom

Brackenfur – golden brown tabby tom

Sorreltail - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

Thornclaw – golden brown tabby tom

Brightheart – white she-cat with ginger patches

Ashfur – pale gray (with darker flecks) tom, dark blue eyes

Graystripe – long-haired gray tom

SHADOWCLAN

LEADER: Russetstar – dark ginger she-cat

DEPUTY: Snowbird – pure white she-cat

MEDICINE CAT: Tigerstripe, son of Tawnypelt; tabby tom

WARRIORS

Flametail – reddish tom APPRENTICE, MOUNTAINPAW

Owlpelt – gray tabby tom APPRENTICE, LIZARDPAW

Ivyleap – green-eyed brown tom

QUEENS

Dawnbreath – beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat with a ginger patch and green eyes; _kits: Highkit and Darkkit_

ELDERS

Tawnypelt – tortoiseshell she-cat

Oakfur – small brown tom

WINDCLAN

LEADER: Onestar – brown tabby tom

DEPUTY: Harenose – white tom APPRENTICE, GRASSPAW

MEDICINE CAT: Barkface – _very _ancient short-tailed brown tom APPRENTICE, KESTRELFLIGHT

WARRIORS

Heatherwhisper – (**I forgot what color!) **some-colored she-cat with blue eyes APPRENTICE, RABBITPAW

Breezeclaw – white tom

Nightcloud – black she-cat

Owlwhisker – light brown tabby tom APPRENTICE, OSPREYPAW

Crowfeather – dark gray tom

QUEENS

Whitetail – small white she-cat

ELDERS

Weaselfur – ginger tom with white paws

Tornear – tabby tom

RIVERCLAN

LEADER: Mistystar – gray she-cat with blue eyes APPRENTICE, FISHPAW

DEPUTY: Graywater – puddle-gray tom

MEDICINE CAT: Willowfur – **(GAH! Forgot again!) **some-colored she-cat APPRENTICE, MALLOWPAW

WARRIORS

Minnowtail – gray tom with pale gray-green eyes

Flintclaw – silver tabby tom with crystal blue eyes

Reedfoot – lanky brown tom

Stripeleg – beautiful tabby she-cat with a dark stripe on her left foreleg

Pouncewater – brown tom

Pebbleleg – black she-cat

Browntail – brown tom with a large nick in his ear

Waterwind - a sleek black tom

Silverfur – silvery she-cat

Sneezemuzzle – gray tabby tom

QUEENS

Larkrose – red-and-white she-cat

ELDERS

Mothwing –dappled golden she-cat

Blackclaw – smoky black tom

Voletooth – small brown tabby tom

Dawnflower – pale gray she-cat


	2. The Forest

_**NIGHT OF THE RAVEN **_**IS HERE!!! YAAAAAAAAAY!**

**Also, if you're tired of waiting for my other fanfics, you're gonna be waiting for a while. I S0 want to finish the series before spring 2009!**

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SPARKFUR POV: THE FORMER BORDER BETWEEN THUNDERCLAN AND SHADOWCLAN

"Wow," she gasped, shaking snowflakes from her fur. It was a lost cause, however; more settled on the fiery tabby pelt. "We finally made it."

Flintclaw smiled and licked his comrade's ear. Moonheart hissed under his breath, and meowed, "Yeah. We made it."

Fawnstream's six kits bounced up and down. Mothflower stepped forward, looking at the other ten travelers. "Well, if you are here…I think it's time for us to go."

The smile vanished from Flintclaw's face. "But…why?"

"Fawnstream said it's too cold for her kits, and besides, they'll be apprentices soon, so we think we should take them back." Mothflower looked wistful. "Goodbye, Flintclaw. Goodbye, Sparkfur." The other eight said their goodbyes and disappeared.

"Goodbye, Russetkit, Quailkit, Cherrykit, Beechkit, Larkkit, and Ivykit! Good luck on your apprenticeship!" Sparkfur yowled after them cheerfully. She strained hard and heard six little voices shouting goodbye.

"Come on, Flintclaw! We've got to find this friend." She looked down at the sparse trees, and all the Twoleg nests. "Uh…Flintclaw. Have you had any dreams lately?"

"No." He followed her gaze. "This could be harder than expected." Sparkfur sighed, proceeding to shake more snow off of her, and blinked.

"Well, we better get started." _Uh, Firestar, why am I dreaming about you and why are you dreaming about me, and why are we dreaming about each other at the same time? _"Wait—did you say something?"

The tabby stared at her as they walked into Twolegplace. "No, I didn't say anything. I hear those two kits over there, though." He nodded toward a fence. Sparkfur perked her ears and listened. She heard their play-yowls.

_I'm not dreaming of you. I'm dead. _This sounded almost exactly like her great-great-grandfather._ It's okay, Ravenpaw. I've come to tell you something more important. _When the fire dies, flint and spark alone can harness the power to bring it back to life._ Now, two cats will be coming. I don't know when, but they _will_ come__. And when they do, be ready. I will see you soon, my friend._

"Ravenpaw!" Sparkfur gasped.

"_Who?_" Flintclaw asked skeptically.

"Ravenpaw. That's who we have to find. Ravenpaw!" she said impatiently. There was a banging of the fence and a black-and-white cat jumped up onto the top.

"I don't know any Ravenpaw, but I know Oreo and Sniffles, the new cats two houses down," said the tom cheerfully. "Who're you? I'm Smudge."

"I'm Sparkfur, and this is Flintclaw," she meowed. "We're warriors."

The tom's eyes grew wide. "Really?! How is Firestar? What about his kits? How are they?" Sparkfur felt a pang of sadness.

"He died only a moon and a half ago," Flintclaw put in, noticing her eyes. They were clouded with pain. "Squirrelflight and Leafpool are fine. Sparkfur is Firestar's great-great-granddaughter. I think. Aren't you?"

"Yes," she meowed, recovering herself. Smudge bowed his head. "We're sorry, Smudge, to give you such news, but can you direct us to Oreo and…uh…Sniffles?"

He nodded, brightening, and pointed left with his tail. "That-a-way. There's a littler black one, and a big black-and-white tom."

"Got it. Thanks, Smudge!" Sparkfur called, trotting away. He mewed a "You're welcome" after them, but they were too far away.

"'Sniffles?' Why did I get landed with the mousebrained name?" a voice complained.

"Hey! At least you didn't get named after a cookie! Whatever that is!" snapped another.

"Wow," she muttered, hopping onto the fence. Two cats were moping about the garden, sniffing halfheartedly at catnip and flopping down in strange intervals.

"Hey! Ravenpaw!" Flintclaw yelled. Sparkfur almost pushed him off the fence, she was so furious.

The little black one looked up, confused. "Hey, I don't know who you are, but it's Or—oh, great StarClan." The robust tom next to him looked at him strangely. "It's the _two, _Barley. You know, Firestar's two!"

"Oooh."

"Get down here!" Ravenpaw meowed to them. They jumped down into the garden. "Who are you? Why are you here? How long have you been traveling?"

"I'm Sparkfur, he's Flintclaw, we came here because we have to save the Clans, and we've traveled for one moon."

Ravenpaw looked stunned. "A whole moon? I don't know if Barley here would be fit enough to travel; he's so tubby."

Barley scoffed in mock anger. "_Tubby_? You're a twig, then!"

"Can we get to the fun part?" a new cat drawled. "I'm tired of waiting."

"Huh?" Sparkfur asked, confused.

A huge silver tom jumped them, smashing Sparkfur's face to the earth. She heard spitting and yowling, and everything went black.

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**DANG IT. I really need to get to the good part, where they travel back, Sparkfur's pregnant, and Daddy's maddy…**


	3. The 'BirdClan'

**Thanks for the review, uh…I forgot your name. Sorry. I'll fix it later.**

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FLINTCLAW POV: FORMER RIVERCLAN CAMP. IT STILL EXISTS! YAY!

"Oh-oh," the tabby muttered, blinking his eyes open. "That one is _definitely _going to leave a mark." He looked over to Sparkfur, her once-wet thick fur stuck into clumps, and stained with dark crimson blood. "Sparkfur? Are you okay?" She didn't stir.

A deep, strange anger began to fill in his stomach, one he'd never felt before, even when Reedfoot, a kit at the time, had told him he looked like a she-cat with his bright blue eyes and fluffy tail. Flintclaw jumped to his paws, ears flattened against his head in fury. He didn't care when his shoulder wound reopened. He called out, "Alright! Which one of you hurt my friend?"

It sounded very comical as he spoke, because no one was around. But he had a feeling there were cats. Many cats. After his yowl had echoed into nothingness, three dozen cats, maybe more, melted from the trees and ferns. Small tabbies, large tortoiseshells, broad-shouldered oranges, muscular-legged silvers, and long-clawed browns emerged, hissing, to surround Flintclaw and unconscious Sparkfur.

One gray tabby, much like himself but _much _larger in stature and strength, parted the group to stand with his golden eyes boring into his blue ones. Suddenly struck with an idea, Flintclaw's eyes meandered to the tom's shoulder. "That would be me," said the tabby gruffly.

Pretending to be blind, Flintclaw's eyes snapped to the source of the noise, but searched his face as if it were meaningless. "You're going to pay."

"Ha!" yowled a tortoiseshell, her face creased into a laugh. "Says a blind cat!" Flintclaw automatically looked in her general direction, his eyes narrowing.

"I may not be able to see," he lied in a snarl, advancing, "but I can hear and smell better than any of you fools." The unwise tortoiseshell took a step forward, baring her teeth.

Flintclaw launched himself upon the cat, screaming, "_Avenge! Avenge! Avenge!_" The pair slashed and tumbled, shrieking and howling, across the clearing. Finally the tom came out on top, his shoulder cuts bleeding heavily, but with the daintier tortoiseshell beneath him, eyes wide, blood covering her body.

"Kingbird!" gasped an orange tom, running to her aid.Flintclaw hopped off of her, shook himself free of dust, and began walking to the river that flowed nearby.

A hushed murmuring began as they watched the "blind" tom splash into the water without a fear of being swept away as he "could not see". When Flintclaw heard a dull moan rise up, he jumped out of the water in a frenzied manner and darted to Sparkfur's side.

Her glowing amber eyes opened and she groaned as she tried to sit up. "What happened, Flintclaw?" she meowed.

Flintclaw muttered in her ear to pretend he was blind, and then said, "A few pawfuls of rowdy cats attacked us. I don't know what happened to Ravenpaw and Barley."

"Uh, Flintclaw, we're over here." He turned to see the two toms being flanked by six cats. They were unharmed, just looked frightened. "Don't come over here. They'll hurt you—mrrow!"

One hugely large brown she-cat cast Barley a venomous glare and pierced his skin with her claws, saying nothing. Barley immediately shut up and looked at the ground.

"You see? I am not weak because I am blind," Flintclaw meowed. "I know that she-cat has hurt Barley. I know that she has placed her paw on his flank and pricked his skin with her claws. I know that if Ravenpaw makes one move to help him, he will be attacked."

The mousebrained cats muttered in wonder as the "blind" tom told of what he "didn't see, but saw". Flintclaw turned from the two prisoners and looked at Sparkfur, who was yawning and rolling her eyes.

"Now…tell me, who are you?" he meowed to the cats.

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JAYLEAF POV: MEDICINE CAT'S DEN

Although Jayleaf was a wise-cracking tom with a bad attitude, he had to admit he felt pity for the two cats in the medicine cat's den. Redstar had taken a nasty blow in the back of the neck and was still out cold, but Brook had been nailed in the head and was awake. Brook looked rather silly with a cobweb bandage around her head and tied off near her cheek. Redstar, however, wasn't much better, with cobwebs tied around his neck.

"Ohhh…" Redstar groaned, opening his eyes. Jayleaf called to Leafpool that he was awake. "What…_happened_?"

"What happened?!" Jayleaf meowed. "A JaggedClan rock clunked you in the neck, that's what happened." Brook had to muffle a laugh as Leafpool walked in.

"I don't know, Redstar," she sighed to her great-nephew. "JaggedClan was never much of a problem before. I didn't think it would matter they existed, as long as they didn't bother us, but…they've returned stronger than us. Bumblebee and Mousepelt saw the Clan. They say the Clan has grown larger than all of ThunderClan!"

Jayleaf nodded. "Don't forget, they saw horrible things. Deadkit—I mean, Dead_dust _was biting and clawing his 'mate'. I don't understand why she doesn't rally up some cats and kill him. She looked like she hated to be there."

Redstar sighed and winced as the blind apprentice began taking off his bandage. "Well, if I recall right, Onestar did say something about JaggedClan a few seasons back." They motioned for him to go on. "Well, he said he'd had Heatherwhisper and Breezeclaw go to spy. Breezeclaw heard that Deaddust said to his mate, 'If you leave, your kits will be killed.' Everyone knows that mothers care about their kits more than anything else."

Brook put in, "Back at the Tribe, we had heard of a JaggedClan. We didn't know about you at the time, so we were glad when they left and moved farther away down the mountains." She shrugged. "I was a kit at the time."

Jayleaf looked confused. "Then that would mean JaggedClan was older than Deaddust!"

Redstar nodded. "Yes. JaggedClan has actually existed long before we moved to the lake. A spy confirmed that."

They both stared at him. "You never sent a spy."

"I know," he said. "Firestar did."

Brook, her eyes glittering with puzzlement, meowed, "Who did he send?"

"Brambleclaw."

"_What?_" Leafpool exploded. "Brambleclaw was killed by a fox! There was no way!"

"Ah," Redstar mewed, "but there was." He began to explain how, secretly, Firestar had noticed JaggedClan's actions. Brambleclaw, knowing of the secret, had volunteered to spy. Grudgingly, Firestar allowed him. Just before Brambleclaw's death, he'd returned and told him all that Firestar—and Redstar—knew about JaggedClan. Then the evil Clan had appeared, overpowering Brambleclaw, who by that time was back on his way to spy, and viciously murdered him.

"He'd never been attacked by a fox," Jayleaf processed in awe.

"Does Squirrelflight know?" Leafpool asked, thinking of how her sister must have, or would, feel.

"No." The three cats glared at him. "Firestar thought it was best! And if we told her now, she'd be so angry she'd launch out toward JaggedClan without thinking and get herself killed." Leafpool sighed and nodded in agreement.

Jayleaf felt a sickening feeling. His father had been killed, not by a fox, but JaggedClan! A flame began to form in each of his useless blue-gray eyes. Hiding his fury in a pile of upset tansy petals, he began to form the upright pile again, devising a plan.

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RAVENPAW POV: RIVERCLAN CAMP

The black tom cast a look at Nuthatch, the gray tom who'd hurt Sparkfur. Right now Flintclaw and the tabby she-cat were sharing tongues, and the tom was being exceptionally tender around her back, where she'd been attacked. Barley leaned over to him and muttered, "Looks like Flintclaw's got—" Before he could finish, Oriole, Kingbird's mate, yowled to gather the cats and prisoners.

Ravenpaw stood up and headed to the patch of reeds where Oriole was retreating from to let a large black tom sit. Flintclaw, still pretending to be blind, let Sparkfur guide him with her tail to the meeting place.

The black tom meowed, "We all know we have prisoners." The cats nodded. "So, I think we should name them."

The brown she-cat who'd pricked Barley called out, "But, Towhee, they _do _have names." Towhee cast her a glowering look.

"Fine, Siskin. We'll hear their names, see if they sound stupid, and _then _name them."

Siskin nodded. Ravenpaw thought, _they're all named after birds! How strange!_

"I'm Barley," said the black-and-white tom.

"Ravenpaw," he meowed.

"Sparkfur."

"Flintclaw," the 'blind' tom mewed.

"Well, they _are _all stupid," said Siskin in amazement, obviously thinking they wouldn't be.

"Hmm—okay, you, Barley, are now Caracara." Barley looked insulted.

"Uh, Ravenpaw, you're Anhinga." _Is that even a bird? Where do they get these names?! _Ravenpaw screamed in his head.

"You, Blind-cat, Flintclaw, are Titmouse." _Lucky you! You get one that has 'mouse' in it._

"And finally, Sparkfur, your new name is Cardinal." Ravenpaw could see her face scrunch in disgust and her eyes blaze in anger, but she said nothing. _Yes, Cardinal _is _a pretty mousebrained name._

The four cats regrouped and put their heads together. "Anhinga!" gasped Ravenpaw in horror. "What do they think I am, a piece of foxdung without sense? A dog?"

"What on earth is a Caracara?" snarled Barley.

"Hush," Sparkfur growled. They all looked at her in amazement. "We're going to have to call each other that until we're free. This is the only way we'll stay alive. If you haven't noticed, these 'broods' aren't exactly _small_."

"Hey! Titmouse!" called Kingbird. Flintclaw looked up. "Congrats. Towhee thinks your fighting skills would be good for the Team."

"Team of what?" asked Barley.

"Silly Caracara. The Team that we use to recruit kittypets until we're ready to move to the lake."

Flintclaw and Sparkfur's eyes locked in horror. The _lake?_


	4. The Escape

**Thanks for the reviews! They really motivate me! Also, I just now, in the SECOND BOOK, that both the main character's best friends' surnames were 'foot'. How funny!**

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SPARKFUR/CARDINAL POV: 'BIRDCLAN' CAMP

"…Well don't expect me to know, Towhee. I've had my suspicions about those two, Cardinal and Titmouse. I mean, they seem more powerful than any of the kittypets we've recruited. We can train those kittypets, but it looks like they're already trained to fight."

Sparkfur perked her ears in interest. Peering out from the den she was in, she could see a gray she-cat speaking to the leader, Towhee. What was her name again?...oh, it was Robin. Towhee was meowing briskly now. "Robin, I _do _expect you to know. Honestly! You're our deputy and you can't even watch two stupid cats!"

Robin's gray tail bristled. "They're obviously foreign, Towhee, or I would have known about them!" she hissed. Towhee lashed his tail and bared his teeth. Robin leapt upon him, yowling. They tumbled about, howling and shrieking.

"What's all the ruckus, _Cardinal?_" Flintclaw teased, moving up the tunnel beside her. His mouth dropped open as he watched leader and deputy fight. Clawed-out fur was flying through the air or landing in the snow.

"Hush up, mouse-brain, or I'll pull your tail out," Sparkfur quipped right back. "Towhee and Robin are fighting over us." Although it was actually a tense moment, Flintclaw chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"We're popular, huh?"

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REEDFOOT POV: RIVERCLAN CAMP

The lanky brown tom still missed his friend desperately, but a small weight had been lifted from him in the past moon. Stripepaw would be made a warrior at sunset, and she was so excited, the little dear, that she gave everyone a good mood. The bad end of this day was that she'd cut her pad open on a rock in the river and could barely walk. She'd have to be accompanied by Willowfur as she became a warrior, in case her paw gave out! How demoting!

Stripepaw limped beside him, wincing as her bandaged paw touched the earth. Reedfoot paused and turned as the deputy, Graywater, called him. "Reedfoot! So, when's little ole Flintclaw coming back? Or did he run off with that ThunderClan kittypet descendant?"

Reedfoot bristled at the barbed comment, but said nothing. Suddenly there was noisy meowing from the den. He padded into the medicine cat's den after his apprentice, alarmed at the loud voices. Stripepaw had an accusing look on her face, whereas Willowfur looked frightened at her assault. The tabby apprentice had a knack for unveiling things, and she looked smug. "I _know _why you disappeared for a while to bring back Flintclaw!" she meowed. "You're his mother, aren't you?"

Willowfur's pelt fluffed up, and her eyes darted from Reedfoot to Stripepaw. "Well," she sighed warily, "the truth is..." She stopped, sat down, and drew a licked paw over her ears. "I _am _Flintclaw's mother. I was young, foolish, only just been named a full medicine cat…" She sighed. "Minnowtail had been dropping hints for a small while. When I realized I was pregnant, I panicked and knew I had to do something before it was too late.

"Two days before Flintclaw was born, I left, chancing that I would make it far away before I…well, you know. It didn't work out that way. He came early. Not too far from the west border"—they gave her confused looks—"I wasn't over it!—anyway, not far from the west border, I went into labor and only had one kit. Flintclaw. Minnowtail found me, but I told him to go. He said he'd take the kit to ShadowClan or WindClan, but not here. I was too angry—I wasn't going to let little Flintclaw get away that easily. So I stayed in a large rabbit warren until he was strong and fit, then returned. I couldn't explain. I just gave them dirty looks and said Flintclaw was too young to travel.

"Well, finally, Mistystar, at the time still Mistyfoot, confronted me. Unable to even give a half-witted excuse, I told her the truth. She was disgusted with me, but she said she wouldn't tell my secret. She also got onto Minnowtail, but we continued with our lives. Flintclaw's always thought his mother was Pebbleleg. I couldn't bear to tell him the truth." Willowfur looked at the ground.

Stripepaw's mouth was open, and Reedfoot's eyes were wide. This immense secret, kept from them for seasons, was now let out, and they could hardly understand. Outside, they heard a great crack, and a yowl of horror. Reedfoot rushed from the clearing and spotted Waterwind lying on the ground, black fur stained with glistening red blood. It seeped into the snow, staining it crimson. Silverfur moaned with grief as if she'd been struck with the rock.

"Willowfur! We need help!" Reedfoot yowled. He heard Willowfur preparing herbs and telling Mallowpaw what to do. Mistystar padded anxiously on the Rockpile, and finally called out, "Well, while Waterwind is being treated, I think I shouldn't delay Stripepaw's warrior ceremony." The she-cat brightened greatly.

"I, Mistystar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as warriors in her turn." Taking her eyes off the setting ball of fire, she fixed her gaze on Stripepaw. "Stripepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Reedfoot saw Stripepaw narrow her eyes and look up at the sky, where small fragments of glittering stars were beginning to show. She released a long breath and stared into Mistystar's eyes. "I do."

She smiled. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Stripepaw, from this moment you will be known as Stripeleg. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Mistystar jumped off the Rockpile and rested her muzzle on Stripeleg, who quickly bowed her head. She licked her shoulder, then stepped away to join Reedfoot.

"Stripeleg! Stripeleg! Stripeleg!" cheered the Clan, flicking their tail-tips to the syllables. Reedfoot, with a sudden burst of bravery, leaned down and licked her ears. She looked up, her eyes glittering with happiness, and sank into his chest fur.

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FLINTCLAW/TITMOUSE POV: OLD TWOLEGPLACE

"Okay," Robin said, nodding to Flintclaw. "Titmouse, you sneak up that silver-barked tree. Siskin will take the left fence, and I'll take the right. On my signal, we'll jump him."

Flintclaw nodded with a sickening feeling in his stomach. He had _no _wish to 'jump' a poor, tiny tortoiseshell tom that went by the name of Mr. Fluffy. Struck with an idea as the pair slowly walked to the fence, he leapt into the yard and whispered to him, "Hey! Mr. Fluffy!" The tom turned.

"Run inside as fast as you can, and be careful when you go out. Cats want to take you away." Surprised by this strange tomcat and horrified at being taken away, he ran into his nest screaming, "CODY! CODY HELP!" Quickly Flintclaw dug his claws into the wood and began clawing up it. He made it into the tree just as Robin and Siskin looked down into the yard in astonishment.

"The cat's gone!" exclaimed Siskin. As she said this, Flintclaw hurled himself out of the tree and hurtled through Twolegplace, his breath whooshing from his lungs and back in. His paws pounded on the earth, hearing the 'BirdClan' cats give chase, and he flew into camp, yowling, "Sparkfur! Ravenpaw! Barley! The time to leave is _now!_" Sparkfur dashed out of the hollow, fluffy den flying, closely followed by the two loners. They formed a tight pack and began sprinting, with bellies low, through the furious and confused mob of cats.

"Oh no!" yelped Barley, looking back as he ran. "They're on our tails!"

"Forget that," Sparkfur snapped, "and keep running!" Though the older tom could have easily argued with her, he just nodded and said nothing. But soon Barley began to fall behind, wheezing and panting.

"We have to stop soon!" Ravenpaw meowed anxiously. "He can't last much longer." As soon as he finished, Barley stumbled, tripped, and collapsed.


	5. The Secret

**Thanks for the reviews! And Black Wolf, you're so evil to Barley. He's mad at you.**

**Barley: I'M GONNA GET YOU!**

**Ravenpaw: Barley…calm down. –takes him away-**

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RAVENPAW POV: OLD TWOLEGPLACE

He stared at his old friend. Barley had been full-grown when he'd come to live with him. The thinning cat's sunken flanks heaved heavily. Flintclaw stopped and skidded, throwing up snow. He grabbed the old cat's scruff and slammed into the fence, trying to pass him up to Sparkfur. The orange tabby just managed to snatch the loose skin, and heaved him up. Ravenpaw clawed his way up and took him from the she-cat. She shot him a grateful glance and jumped down, followed by Flintclaw. The black tom let go, and heard a thud as Barley fell onto their shoulders. Then he pushed off into the yard.

Ravenpaw's naturally-bony shoulders bobbed up and down as he rushed to the old tom. His breathing had quickened dangerously. "Water…" he croaked. "Water."

"Get him water!" Ravenpaw shrieked. Sparkfur flinched, but found a patch of moss and a frozen puddle of water. She struck it and dipped in the moss, then brought it to Barley. He squeezed it with his forepaws, lapping up the drops.

It seemed as if the water was poisoned—he convulsed and screamed, as if something was stabbing him. Ravenpaw felt the pain too. Barley had a mad coughing fit, and blood flecked the snow.

"Barley! Don't leave me," he wailed as the cat began to stiffen, his eyes turning misty.

"I see a cat…she looks familiar…it's Bluestar!" he meowed. "I'm going to StarClan."

"No!" Ravenpaw mewed in a whisper. He didn't move as he felt Flintclaw's tail on his shoulder. The black tom pressed his nose to the old cat's pelt as his breathing became just short, ragged gasps, and then gapped until it died away. There was one last heave of his flanks, and his eyes glassed over and rolled back.

Sparkfur gently unsheathed one claw and pulled his eyelids shut. "He's gone, Ravenpaw," she whispered. "Do you think he'd want you to sit vigil with him in this Twoleg yard?"

Flintclaw's azure eyes snapped to her auburn ones. She stared back at him coolly, and as she turned to help Ravenpaw lift the dead tom, Ravenpaw noticed a fierce desperation in her eyes. Just how much did she miss the lake?

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SPARKFUR POV: REMAINING FOREST

Her fur was being rubbed the wrong way as she felt Barley's weight. No, not by the dead tom—but a living silvery one. _He understands nothing!_ Sparkfur thought sullenly. Hadn't he noticed the way her eyes scanned his sterling fur, marked by handsome starless stripes? Hadn't he noticed the way she held onto each touch, the way she lingered on his sapphire eyes, the way she shared tongues with him more than usual?

Sparkfur hated to admit it, but she'd grown quite fond of the RiverClan tom. His voice, husky and soft, hit her ears as a melody. His laugh, deep and throaty, was a tune. She turned happily when she smelled his warm scent or heard his gentle pawsteps. As she shifted Barley on her back, Ravenpaw stopped by a barn. He gently let the old tom's flanks slide off and Sparkfur did the same. Flintclaw stepped forward, unsheathing his claws. His powerful paws dug easily into the cold, snow-soaked ground.

Ravenpaw's head swayed from side to side as he crooned to the dead tom. Sparkfur blocked this out as she watched his rippling muscles ruefully. As soon as the cat had finished the hole for Barley, she lashed her tail and meowed, "Flintclaw, can I speak to you…alone?" Ravenpaw looked up, almost amused.

Confused, the tom followed her into the brambles. Sparkfur hissed and whacked him on the nose with a sheathed paw. He blinked, stunned. "What was that for?"

Blind rage bubbled in her stomach, and she couldn't control it. Her claws slid out and she lashed him across the face. Flintclaw lurched backwards, blood welling between his whiskers. "What in the name of StarClan is wrong with you?!" he yowled.

"Can't you understand?!" she shrieked, bowling the larger tom over and leaping on him, claws pricking his sides. "I _love _you! There! I said it! I love you!"

His jaw dropped. Her heart plummeted to her stomach. _Oh, no! He doesn't love me._ Sparkfur backed away in horror. Flintclaw was about to speak, but she turned and ran, red tail flying out behind her.

---

**God. That SUCKED. I bet you were surprised at the pairing!**


	6. I Love You, Too

**LOL! I didn't think it was that obvious about Flint x Spark…**

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FLINTCLAW POV: PINE GROVE

He stared after the fleeing red tabby. A feeling crept into his heart he hadn't felt before, and his heartbeat pounded in his ears. Flintclaw wanted to look for her so, but Ravenpaw was still with Barley. As he exited the pine grove, he was stunned to realize it was sprinkling freezing rain.

The slushy drops pierced his short fur and made him feel all cold inside. Ravenpaw's paws were muddy and he looked down sadly upon the grave of his old friend. He glanced up. "Where's Sparkfur?"

Flintclaw mumbled an excuse, sliding around the tender parts. The much older tom's eyes glittered with amusement. "She told you, didn't she?"

"Told me what?" he asked innocently. Ravenpaw rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please," he meowed. "You've _had _to notice she _really _likes you by now." Flintclaw felt horridly embarrassed. He really hadn't noticed—he'd been thinking about Silverfur. _She's probably got Waterwind wrapped around her paw by now, _he realized. _She always could do that. And it's been a moon since we left._

"Er—no, actually."

"Great StarClan, Flintclaw!" Ravenpaw yowled. The snow-rain began to fall more heavily. "You're dafter than I thought you'd be." Flintclaw blinked in amazement.

"Well? Why are we standing here? We've got to find her." Flintclaw dipped his head and turned away.

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SPARKFUR POV: FAR FROM FLINTCLAW

The red tabby slowed, flanks heaving. Her fur was soaked through with rain, and her eyes were dark with sorrow. Although worn and weary, with wet snow covering her paws, she knew she had to hunt.

Sparkfur fell into a strained hunter's crouch, and began moving her freezing paws. A squirrel sat by the base of an oak, looking for any fallen, forgotten acorns. She pounced and killed it. Swiftly she leaned down and ate it in small mouthfuls. She swiped her tongue around her lips, smacking her mouth carelessly.

With a sigh, she plopped down and laid her chin on her paws. _If only Flintclaw loved me, _she sighed wistfully. _Oh! If only, if only. What am I saying? 'If only' catches no prey, and my paws can hardly do that anyhow._

As if to reply, her stomach grumbled. She knew there was far better hunting at the lake. They'd have to get back soon, even if Flintclaw was a mousebrained piece of fox dung! _Flintclaw._ Her stomach ached with the thought, and her breath was taken away. Sparkfur let her sorrow overflow into a pitiful mewling, and then rose into a high wail. It suddenly cut off and Sparkfur sighed. _If only, if only._

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FLINTCLAW POV: NOT TOO FAR OFF FROM SPARKFUR

Flintclaw padded tirelessly through the brambles, head bowed and thorns tearing at his shoulders. He only felt one pain, however; the pain of being without _her_. He tore a way for the smaller Ravenpaw, barreling through everything until his body was a mess.

"Flintclaw, I know you miss her, but you can't tear yourself up," Ravenpaw insisted. In reply the silver tabby gave an irritable hiss and kept moving. The black tom sighed and followed, running hard into the warrior's flanks as he stopped.

He pricked his ears. In the near distance, he could hear a sorrowful yowl. _Sparkfur! _Flintclaw's mind screamed. He'd know that cry anywhere—fighting a fox, running from the BirdClan…

Flintclaw darted forward. His paws barely struck the leaf-mold as he ran, followed by Ravenpaw. Overhead, thunder rumbled and lightning cracked, but he didn't stop. "Sparkfur!" he yowled as he burst into a small cluster of bushes. The bedraggled she-cat turned her eyes upon him in surprise.

"Sparkfur, Sparkfur, I'm sorry," he mewed into her ear. "I _do _love you. It just took me a long time to realize it."

"Because you're a stupid old furball," she muttered. Ravenpaw smiled, off to the side.

"Forgive me?" he meowed, licking her wet ears. She didn't reply, just pressed her nose to his cheek, purring.

"Well, that was an adorable reunion," meowed Ravenpaw, getting a few dirty looks, "but who wants to get out of the rain?"


	7. That Creature and Secrets

**Thanks for the reviews. And sorry it was boring, I'm having a severe case of writer's block… . **

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SPARKFUR POV: NEAR THE OLD THUNDERPATH

Sparkfur yawned. The moon was low in the sky, but she was already tired. With a bored purr, she leaned upon Flintclaw. He tenderly licked her ears. Behind them, Ravenpaw snickered.

"Can you make it a little further?" Flintclaw rumbled in her ear. She nodded. When another soft _mrrow _of laughter exploded from the much older cat, she whipped around and gave a furious hiss.

"_Shush, you stupid mouse-brain!_" she screeched. Ravenpaw ducked as her paw flashed through the air, but he wasn't expecting the counter-swipe that knocked him upside the jaw. Bowled over backwards, the former ThunderClanner huffed and stood up with a glimmer of good humor in his eyes.

"Well, I guess I need to polish up my fighting skills," he meowed laughingly. "I haven't had much time to fight, seeing as I've been locked up. And anyhow, I've haven't been beaten that badly since the fight with the rats, long ago, when Bluestar was leader, Firestar was a warrior, and Graystripe hadn't mated with Silverstream."

"_Who?_" the mates asked together. It was common knowledge that Graystripe loved Millie with all his heart.

Ravenpaw's amber eyes were glinting with puzzlement. "Silverstream," he repeated slowly, drawing out the word. "Stormfur and Feathertail's mother?" He looked at them, confused. "You…don't know, do you?"

Sparkfur shook her head. "No; we always thought he'd taken Millie as a mate." As if the word _mate _were magical, Flintclaw twined his tail with hers.

"That's not true," meowed Ravenpaw unnessecarily. "He fell in love with a RiverClan she-cat. They met most days, and she had two kits, Stormfur and Feathertail. But during the birth, she died and went to StarClan. It was very sad. Graystripe was grief-stricken."

Flintclaw's jaw had dropped open during the short tale. Both their tails had slowly untwined and were hanging in the air. Suddenly, there was a loud crackling of bracken, and they turned.

"Great StarClan!" Sparkfur hissed in awe. "What on earth is that?"

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REDSTAR POV: HIGHLEDGE

The red tabby tom awoke with a start. Sharp moonlight angled into his den, falling a few kittensteps short of his paws. He was glad of the moss's warmth, seeing as leaf-bare was in full swing. What he wanted right now was the fur of his mate, Flowersong, brushing his pelt. His mind spun with worries for his only daughter.

Yawning and blinking sleep from his eyes, he stood up. Redstar shook scraps of moss from his striped pelt and padded out of his den. His pads recoiled from the cold snow covering the freezing stone of the Highledge, and quickly he began to hop from the stones to the camp below. He saw his great-aunt, Leafpool, stargazing from the edge of the cleft. Walking smoothly closer, he could hear the light snoring of his blind uncle, Jayleaf.

"You're up a little late, aren't you, Leafpool?" he remarked quietly, sitting down beside her. Her head swiveled and she fixed her amber eyes on him.

"I could ask the same of you," she replied simply. Leafpool's ears twitched and she returned her gaze to Silverpelt.

"Why are you asking StarClan for answers?" he meowed. "Sparkfur is my daughter, and related to Squirrelflight more directly than you…I didn't think it would matter so much."

Leafpool spun around and smashed him to the earth. "More directly than _me?_" she hissed, her nose close to his. "Do you _know _why Squirrelflight's milk never came? Do you _know _why she 'gave birth' outside of camp? Do you _know _why I brought 'her' kits moss and honeycomb? Do you _know, _Redstar? Do _you know?_"

She didn't wait for an answer. Amber eyes blazing with kept secrets and horrible lies and pent-up sorrow, she snarled, "It's because they were _never _her kits. Squirrelflight couldn't get pregnant. They were _mine._ Crowfeather and I did some things we probably never should have thought about, and it resulted in Jayleaf, Lionfur, and Hollywhisker."

Redstar blinked in shock. So she _wasn't _his great-aunt! She was his great-grandmother! "Oh," he meowed squeakily. "Well, then. That…helps." He huffed. "Can you get off of me, please?"

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FLINTCLAW POV: NEAR THE OLD THUNDERPATH

"_Great StarClan!" Sparkfur hissed in awe. "What on earth is that?"_

Flintclaw stared up, eyes wide with horror. This huge thing…what was it? It shadowed them all out. It was a humongous, lumbering thing, bigger than a badger. Its fur was long and brown and ragged. It had huge hind paws, able to stand freely on them, and long, deathly claws sprouted from its forepaws, able to rip off any of the cats' heads.

The creature had a long, rectangular, pointed snout. Its tiny black eyes glinted in the moonlight. On its furred backside, a tiny brown tail waved. **(Guess what?...It's a bear.) **With an unnatural, guttural roar, it fell back onto all four paws and stared him straight in the eyes.

Flintclaw knew they were in serious danger. Giving vent to a horrid screech, he lashed out and ripped open the creature's soft flesh on its nose. It roared again, reeling back, and held its paw to its face.

"StarClan help us!" Sparkfur shrieked as it lumbered onto its hind paws once more. Ravenpaw barreled past the pair and launched himself at the tan underbelly of the creature. Looking at it now, it seemed like a disfigured mole.

Ravenpaw clawed at its belly. The creature swatted him (hard) and Ravenpaw smashed into a tree. He fell off, blood leaking from various parts of his body, and eyes closed. Only the shallow rise and fall of his chest reassured Flintclaw that he was alive. Sparkfur rushed at the creature, flinging herself onto its massive shoulders. It howled in pain as she bit down on its ears. She dug in her claws and spat out pieces of flesh, face twisted in disgust.

"Sparkfur! No! Don't! You'll kill yourself!" Flintclaw yowled. She began ripping at the creature's face. Anxiety gnawed at him, and he leapt, knocking Sparkfur onto the ground. The creature swatted him with claws that felt like wood. He crashed onto the earth, darkness spilling in around him…


End file.
